The Red Wine Glass
by Indigo Jupiter
Summary: Rebelling comes in all forms. For many, it's taking part in a protest. For others, it's about not staying silent. But for Tala, it's one push of a glass from the bar.


**I don't own beyblade :3**

 **A one-shot which should have been completed a month ago, but then life happened and well you know how it gets :') Anyway this one-shot is more like a philosophical story rather belonging in a friendship genre. Nevertheless i hope you still enjoy it :)**

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 **Chapter 01**  
 **The Red Wine glass**

It was a cold evening, yet it didn't snow which was kind of strange because it should have by now. The year was almost coming to the end and the city hadn't witness a single frosty fall of a year. It seems like Mother Nature was taking its time.  
Not that it bothered the citizens. They were far too busy in the festivities for as it turns out, Christmas was coming. The street was bustling with shoppers carrying their bags, the vendors wheeling the carts of merchandise and tourists doing sightseeing. The square was certainly lively. It felt like the night itself didn't want to end.

If the outside was busy, then the insides weren't empty either. The bistros were busy piping hot soups and drinks of all ranges to the hungry customers. The warm pubs were crowded too, but it wasn't overwhelming one. Rather it felt nice to be in the halo of the chatter and the laughter of people.

Tala happened to be in one of those pubs. The place was called 'Fat Duck'. It was kind of amusing actually. Ducks are fat, why need to point it out? Apparently someone thought it would be a nice name for a pub. Truth be told, it was a catching name.  
The individual wasn't alone. Next to him sat Julia, who looked gorgeous in her off the sleeves maroon dress. She just returned from the circus and was tired to bone.

"I am telling you, It's getting hard to please people these days" the Spanish maiden said, stirring her drink with a bendy straw" A simple juggling or tumbling of devil sticks won't do a job, because it's too simple…"  
"But don't you do trapeze? Tala interrupted.

Last time he checked, Julia qualified for the trapeze course and boy was she happy. She was literally skipping when she told the news to the red-head. After a month, the current scenario seems to tell a another whole story.

"That's the thing. Ever since I started doing that, everyone expects me to nail the show. All the pressure falls on me" Julia explained" And with Raul gone, it feels double"  
Tala raised his eyebrow, to which Fernandez added" He went on a vacation with a couple of his friends"

Hn that would explain Raul's absence.

"Not that I am complaining. I love my job…..but sometimes it gets overbearing" The girl trailed off, now rubbing her forehead tiredly.  
It was quiet for a while, except for the talking of the people and the band playing in a small stage, serving as a soft background noise.

"Did you talk to Romero about it?" Tala asked, twirling the red glass with his pale hand.  
"No. It would be useless"

He didn't ask 'why' because soon she was rambling about it.

"When I would begin, Romero would cut me off by saying 'Ah Julia! My darling! See how far we have come along!" the dual-haired shaded woman mimicked perfectly" From the debris, we rose like an estrella de la tarde! And we wouldn't have made it without you twins! I am so proud of you Mi hijo!"

'She would make a very good actress' Ivanov thought after hearing the mimicry.

"When he would utter those words, I am literally tongue-tied. There's nothing left to speak"  
"Because he guilt trips you?"  
"Yeah….."

Tala ordered for another drink. Before taking a sip, he asks" Then what do you do?"  
"I suffer"

The wolfborg wielder snorted to which Julia rolled her pretty jade green eyes" I know what you are thinking 'Behold! A Spanish yandere is actually not boiling! Call the press!"  
"You spoke my muses" Tala replied coolly.  
"You are welcome" Julia answered sourly.

Someone opened the door and draft came in, making everyone shiver, with the exception of retired bladers. Tala was used to cold. Julia just drank a lot of brandy so that would elucidate why she didn't curl her toes.

"Bearing all it quietly doesn't mean I don't feel anything. Times like these, I can't help but feel _rebellious_ "  
"Well it can't be helped" Tala nodded" I know what's it's like"

At this Julia laughed. Not demurely, more like an outburst. The ice wielder paused his drinking and frowned at the woman who was sitting next to him.  
The Pegasus wielder continued laughing. It was a beautiful laugh, no doubt, but only it wasn't directed at you.

The red-head sighed and waited for his companion to come out of a bubble.

Fernandez placed her painted nail palm on her chest, catching her breath. She realized what she had done, though it didn't bothered her the slightest and wasn't even remotely sorry about it. She grinned.

"Did I miss a joke?!" Tala gritted out, annoyed.  
"I don't know. You tell me" Julia said, now tracing her chin with her finger.

The Russian exhaled. He was in no mood for mind games.

Just then a young man came and bowed" Evening my lady. May I have a pleasure to dance with you? It would be an honor"  
Julia faked a gasp whilst pointing at herself "You want to dance with this old hag?!"

"Not a hag, more like a princess" The man mumbled, blushing lightly.  
"Sure. I will join you in a minute"

The chap beamed and nodded. Julia slid off the wooden stool gracefully. She then glanced at Tala, who was pointedly ignoring her.

Ivanov's train of thoughts broke when his glass was replaced by another glass that was sloshing brandy. He then felt a presence and a pair of lips ghosting on his ear shell.

"I know what's going in your mind Tala. You are in doubt"

Tala didn't acknowledge her but continued to stare at the liquid. It was of brown hue, carrying a tinge of gold.

"It's not pleasant when someone props a mirror in front of you and shows you the reality. But know this, it is only after that, you start moving forward"  
"Your point?" Tala asked stiffly.

Julia smiled and leaned forward" Break the glass"

"What?"  
"Break the glass Ivanov and you will have no doubt. Break the glass and I won't laugh at you anymore. Break the glass and I will believe that you are a _rebel_ "

With that being said, the girl left, leaving a trail of perfume in her wake.

The Russian sat stunned in his chair while people around him engaged themselves in dancing. The whole pub was echoed with the sounds of stomping feet and joyful cries.

Tala looked down and observed the glass again. It was of simple design and was small. The only distinct thing about it was that it was made of red crystal. Otherwise that's it.

'Am i not a rebel? Is that why Fernandez was laughing at me?'

Reflecting on his memories, he allowed himself to submerge in the flow of his past.

Bryan found him crying in an alleyway when they were just kids. When the falcon wielder suggested him to leave the comfort of his abode and join his side, he didn't hesitate. It's not like he didn't have a choice before. It just that he needed a lead. And what luck! He found it. Well more like it came to him.

After a year, both of them were forcefully enrolled in an abbey where it was ingrained in everyone's mind that the pupils were nothing but tools to be used, period. Tala didn't complain. The work environment suited him fine, even though most of the time it did cross the silver lining, but as long you follow the rules, you are safe.

Later on, Kai told him about an escape plan. Tala listened to it. Once finished, Hiwatari asked;  
"So? What do you think?"  
After a pause "Sure, I will cover you"  
Kai raised his eyebrow" You aren't coming?!"  
Tala smirked" Kai, we are talking about escaping from an _abbey_. The idea shouldn't have come in your mind in the first place. It's forbidden"

Kai smiled bitterly. Though he didn't know the true reason why Tala was denying him. He just presumed that his friend considered it dangerous.  
That was not the case, not at all. It's because Tala didn't have enough guts. He has finally found a place from where he belongs. Even though that place can't be called a home, but still it provided him with an identity. He was too much comfortable here to his own liking.  
And because of these very reasons, Tala stayed while the phoenix wielder fought the blizzard and ran towards haven.  
During the world championships, the wolf wielder was displeased when Kai joined the Blitzkrieg boys. Nevertheless he kept his mouth shut because there were orders to be followed. And he wasn't the one to break the rules.  
He again didn't protest when Kai joined their team in the third championships. The team interests were at stake and well Hiwatari was an excellent blader. So goals first, grudges be damned.  
It was only after BEGA accident, did the red-head begin to question his position. Even though Bryan and Spencer were fine and Kai made up with all of them, it wasn't enough to dispel the feeling that was coming from the depths of his soul.

He felt used. A human with no feelings. A cyborg he was viewed as. An obedient solider...

Tala's ice blue eyes widened in shock; he never protested all his life. He just went along with the wave. Even though the ocean provided him with opportunities to resist, he preferred sinking in it rather surfacing for the air.  
He should have stepped up when his father was abusing him, both physically and mentally. He should have stood up when Boris was favoring Kai for no reason. He should have flatly denied Kai's request to join the team. He should have escaped with Kai from an abbey instead of rotting away in the fiery pits of hell created in earth. He should have talked some sense in his team mates rather leading them foolishly to the fight against a team that was five times stronger than them.

Julia has every right to laugh at him. He was not a rebel. He was a pushover, and a big one he just realized.

Hands trembling, Tala looked at the glass. Yeah no kidding, when confronted with the truth which you were blatantly ignoring all your life. It wasn't a pleasant feat at all.

 _'Break the glass Ivanov and you will have no doubt'_

Should he?

 _'Break the glass and I won't laugh at you anymore'_

So does that means that the breaking of glass would make him a certified nonconformist?! The concept wasn't lost on him. He knew why Julia asked him. Who would break a glass on purpose anyway? It's not normal. It's against the rule. But then the word 'Rebel' doesn't actually belong to the world of good manners.

The analogy did however shake him a little.

' _Break the glass and I will believe you are a rebel'_

He could literally hear the ticking of a ancient clock that was hanging from the wall. It's like it was waiting for his decision. The world seems to slow down as though anticipating his next move.

 _'Break the glass…'_ her words rang in his mind.

In the next minute, several things happened simultaneously. The clock chimed at twelve and everyone paused. A drag and then a smash of crystals. Then a shout "Look it's snowing!"

"What?!"  
"Really?"  
"It is! Look!"  
"Let's go outside"

While everyone rushed towards the door and windows, Tala didn't leave his spot. He was busy staring at a mess that now lay in a form of fragments on a wooden floor.

To any outsider, it would be an accident. It happens normally.

To Tala, it was deliberate. It was surfacing from the ocean. It was the cutting of strings that were keeping him grounded. It was about stepping forward.  
For him, this was the moment of truth.

He knows he was a pushover. But now, no more. All this time, the squall pushed him around. But next time, the clouds surround him, he will stand up and say 'You are not the storm, I am!"

The Russian smiled and got up from his seat. He then kneeled down and started picking up the shards. Another pair of hands came that were now holding a cotton handkerchief widespread. He didn't have to lift his head to know who was it.  
Silently he dropped the shards in the cloth. Once done, he tied the knot of the cloth firmly.

But before he could get up, he was engulfed in an embrace.

"It's finally snowing" Julia whispered. Then she said" Well done Tala, I am so proud of you…"

Outside, everyone were shouting 'Merry Christmas' to each other. The red-head could feel the smile of the girl that was holding him in her arms.

Julia sighed" I pray that this Christmas and the coming ones…prove full of joy and happiness"

Tala didn't believe in God, yet he couldn't help feeling that somewhere in the heavens, her prayer was heard.  
And because of this, his next word was" Amen"

 **The end**

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**Author note:**

 **This was inspired from the novel 'By the river Piedra, i sat down and wept' by Paulo Coelho. You would find the scene of the breaking glass familiar, so don't be surprised. It was taken from the said novel. However i changed the reasons behind the smashing of the glassware, so no i didn't cheat :)**

 **Well 2017 has begun...Yay! :D (i wasn't being sarcastic)**  
 **2016 ended and no i won't say anything to it. Because Time doesn't belong to anyone. And when something doesn't belong to you, we have no right to say anything to it.**  
 **But if asked how was the year 2016 for me? i would say it certainly was unpredictable. The good things that happened were; I passed the second semester, Papa came home, My elder sister got admission in a MS program, and i passed the social psychology course with 92 % XD**  
 **The bad things that happened; My mum getting diagnosed with Life-threatening disease. And that i wasn't expecting and a time which i would rather forget T_T. Lost most of the people which were close to my heart like my tutor teacher. Great Icons of our country like Amjad Sabri, Junaid Jamshed.**

 **I don't believe in new year resolutions because let's be honest, they are hollow :3 But i could still pray and so i pray that May Allah make this year and the coming ones prove full of joy and happiness for all of us. May your dreams come true. May everyone's difficulties get washed away like dirt from cloth. May you always stay happy and blessed! Ameen.**

 **A belated merry Christmas and a Happy new year!**  
 **Much love and warm wishes**  
 **From**  
 **~Noni :'D**


End file.
